Baroness Ashton of Upholland, the British EU foreign policy chief, has come under withering attack over her leadership in a European Parliament report. The former Labour peer was criticised for running a complex, “top-heavy operation” in a report by the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

The paper echoes unflattering assessments from other bodies in recent months, as the £450 million-a-year EU diplomatic service prepares for a full-scale review this summer.

Lady Ashton, a vice-president of the EU Commission as well as High Representative, said last month that she would step down next year to make way for “people who can do